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James Marsden Hurst 1924—2005 Biography and works

Hurst diamond notation: how to read phasing results

Diamond notation records cycle troughs assigned during phasing: a taller stack includes a longer duration, not a stronger forecast.

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This reference cites the Cyclepedia entry. The documents it draws on are listed in the entry’s sources.

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In plain words — A diamond below price records the trough that an analyst assigned to one cycle. Several diamonds at the same date mean that the low was also assigned to longer cycles.

Documentary limit — “Cyclic Analysis” (1974) directly shows diamonds below price to locate component troughs. The complete course is unavailable: stack construction and the height convention remain documented through David Hickson.

What it shows

The notation is a graphical record of a phasing analysis: the assignment of troughs to several cycle components. One diamond represents the trough assigned to one component. If cycles of several durations are judged to form troughs in the same time area, their marks are stacked.

Stack height identifies the longest scale included in that assignment. It does not express the size of the next rise, the probability of success, or the quality of a signal.

Diamond notation: a historical phasing mapDiamonds sit below interpreted troughs. A taller stack means the annotation includes a longer cycle; assignments remain revisable. POST-HURST CODIFICATION · DAVID HICKSONDiamond notation: a map of phasingA later convention: this notation was not published by Hurst in 1970 shortmediumlong revisable assignmentstack height = longest cycle represented, not signal strength Diamond: annotation of an interpreted trough Stack: several cycles assigned to one trough Tall stack: a longer cycle is also represented Revision: the assigned trough can changeTab or tap: explore the four points
The stack records a trough hierarchy: each level adds a cycle component, not a stronger forecast.
Select the highlighted points to explore the detail

How it is constructed

The marks come after the analysis; they do not perform it. The essential sequence is:

  1. complete phasing across several durations in the nominal model;
  2. place a diamond below each assigned trough;
  3. align vertically the diamonds of components that share the same trough area;
  4. revise the stack if new data change the assignment.

Trough synchronization explains why several components may be recorded at one point. Their coincidence is still a conclusion of the phasing, not a fact created by the symbol.

Advanced reading and limits

A stack is shorthand for two pieces of information: when a trough was placed and how far up the duration hierarchy the assignment extends. Its meaning therefore depends on the nominal model and on the set of components being analysed. Two analysts may draw different stacks at the same price low if they resolve a phase ambiguity differently.

In the 1974 primary source and later convention, diamonds mark troughs, not peaks. The symbol does not calculate phasing, predict the next trough by itself, or constitute a buy or sell signal. Software extensions, peak markings, and forecasting rules need separate documentation.

Sources

  • J. M. Hurst, “Cyclic Analysis”, Reason, May 1974 — primary source for diamonds and troughs in the current cyclic model.
  • J. M. Hurst, The Profit Magic of Stock Transaction Timing, Prentice-Hall, 1970 — checked directly to delimit the book method; diamond notation is not documented there.
  • David Hickson, “Phasing Analysis”, Hurst Cycles Notes, 16 September 2022 — post-Hurst account attributing the system to Hurst and describing diamonds, troughs, and stack height.
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